September 25, 2012

This Sunday saw yet another battle of creative forces that we all know by its more common name, the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards. Some people won awards, others left empty-handed, and Mad Men set a most unfortunate record but that’s all right because it’s an honor just to be nominated. As usual though, our focus isn’t on the people who went home with a statuette in hand but on those who stood out for their style.

We’ll dive into the bow tie straight away this time around because they were everywhere last night, with men like Jon Hamm, Jim Parsons, Damon Wayans, Bryan Cranston, Judd Apatow, and scores of others quite wisely deciding to match their black tuxedos with the timeless sophistication of a black bow tie. We were also partial to Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Burberry bow tie and Aaron Paul’s pairing of a chocolate brown tuxedo with a lighter brown bow tie. The winner of the night might just be Jack Hudson though, as he embodied the classic aesthetic of yesteryear from head to toe.

Aaron Paul is all smiles as he leaves with his Emmy Award for his outstanding performance on Breaking Bad (via zimbio.com)

Another standout of the night was Jon Cryer, who opted for a a gray jacket with striking back accents along the lapel and pockets, though he did go for a long tie. Unfortunately, we can’t offer the same praise to Bruno Tonioli who also wore a gray jacket with black accents but fell victim to a poorly fitting tux that distracted from the outfit’s overall potential. Just another example of the difference that proper tuxedo sizing can make.

In the quirkier corner we have far fewer candidates this year around since the majority of men behaved by choosing looks that were an embrace of the standards. Sure there were differences, but they were subtle and mainly involved different colored ties and the decision between wearing a tuxedo vest and going without one, and nobody wants to read an article on the merits of a black tie versus a blue one… right?

Back to the point, Kevin Costner decided to forgo all neck accessories and opted to leave his shirt unbuttoned to his tuxedo vest, which knocked the classiness of his ensemble down several notches. We’re not sure what he was thinking because it’s not a good look overall, especially for a man who has matured beyond his frat house days.

Elsewhere, actor Johnny Galecki wore a blue velvet jacket that actually worked for him, while Andy Cohen had a little less luck with the incohesive combination of a blue shirt, black tux, and black bow tie, which is unfortunate since he was otherwise very well put-together.